Chapter CII - How Could You?!

Gripping the bag of tissues, Sophie stood in the hallway, taking a deep breath before returning to the living room. The last thing she expected while waiting for Arthur and Irene to return home was the news that Nabi had been cheated on and that they’d have a girls’ night. Considering everything that was happening to her, it took a lot of effort to be emotionally supportive, but she still did her best.

Nabi sat curled up like a ball on the couch with Amelia next to her, caressing her back while she was warped up by a blanket. Her cheeks were burning red, eyes puffy, and nose full, yet Nabi still tried her best to be as quiet as possible, allowing only a few moans to escape her.

“Here you go.” Sophie handed her the tissues and sat on the edge of the couch.

“Thanks,” she whispered with a wobbly voice.

“Don’t mention it.” Sophie leaned back, showing a meek smile. “Ari and Yeona texted me that they can’t come.”

“I can’t believe that guy. . .” Irene said, sitting at the table, tapping her fingers until Iseul cupped her hand to calm her down.

“Has he replied yet?” Iseul asked, looking at Nabi.

“No–” Nabi burst into tears again, burying her face into her knees. “Sorry, I need to go to the bathroom. . .”

She hastily got up and rushed off on her own, almost falling over near the door, but luckily caught herself on the doorframe.

“Nabi–” Amelia called out to her pointlessly before letting out a sigh.

“Do we know who the girl is?” Iseul asked Irene now that Nabi was out of the room.

“I don’t think she goes to our school. . .” Irene mentioned, but it was a bold speculation. “God, what an asshole.”

“You need to chill,” Iseul said, still holding her hand. “I get that you’re angry with him, but this much? What’s going on?”

“Huh?” Irene was caught off guard. “Nothing. I just hate when the people I care for are hurt.”

She lowered her voice, making Isuel look at her suspiciously.

“Well, when you’re ready to talk about it, hit me up,” Iseul said, turning to the door leading to the hallway.

“Thanks,” Irene didn’t deny anything but still refrained from telling what was on her mind.

“What exactly did he say when you caught him?” Amelia asked, picking up the blanket that fell to the ground when Nabi suddenly rushed off.

“He tried to make an excuse, even lied to the girl saying they were broken up for weeks. She ended up leaving once she learned that the two went on a date while broken up,” Irene air quoted the broken up part with her free hand. “And after that, I might’ve made a huge scene by splashing him with my smoothie. . .”

“Reminds me of when you had that fight with Aera,” Iseul mentioned.

“Why’d you have to bring up that bi–?” Irene sighed, clearly annoyed.

“Wait, don’t tell me she has something–”

“No,” Irene immediately cut her off. “It has nothing to do with her. . .”

“Okay, okay. . .” Iseul took a deep breath, letting go of Irene’s hand. “I trust you.”

“I’ll go check up on Nabi,” Amelia said, leaving the living room.

“Is Aera the girl that you had a big fight with?” Sophie asked, curious as she barely remembered the name.

“You never told her?” Iseul asked, glancing at Irene.

“What’s there to tell? Aera was a snobby kid that wanted to make my life hell and even tried to set up a scene that made it look like I was cheating on my now ex. But this has nothing to do with it, I swear.”

“Irene’s on edge because of Oppa and me. . .” Sophie explained, surprising Irene. “You see, we–”

“Sophie, you shouldn’t tell her. . .” Irene interrupted.

“I know, but it’s my secret too, and it’s my grandpa we’re talking about,” Sophie said, showing a soft smile. “I’m not sure why we’re hiding it in the first place from our friends. Without them. . . I’m not sure where I’d be right now.”

“Sophie. . .” Irene got up and walked over to Sophie, wrapping her arms around her after noticing she was on the brink of tears. “It’s gonna be okay.”

Sophie kept acting tough for Arthur’s sake, trying not to be a burden with worry, but truthfully, she struggled every time at the thought of something happening to Arthur. Seeing Nabi crying didn’t help, making her want to cry for different reasons. Having to hide such a secret from her friends also made it that much harder to endure.

Gripping Irene’s arm while her hand trembled, she took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, nodding her head.

“I know. . .” Sophie mumbled as the two broke away from the hug.

“I see I’m out of the loop,” Iseul said, letting her arms rest on the table. “Don’t worry, Soph. You’ll tell me when you can, okay?”

Sophie nodded again, showing Iseul a thankful smile while rubbing her eyes against her shoulder, making sure she didn’t cry.

“You’re right,” Irene whispered, thinking just how annoying it was keeping it a secret from her older sister, whom she trusted with everything happening in her life. “Let’s–”

Nabi and Amelia returned to the living room before Irene could finish what she had to say.

“Sorry about that,” Nabi whispered, slowly walking back to the couch.

“Don’t worry about it,” Irene said, turning to Sophie, whispering, “We’ll talk later about this and see if your Oppa agrees, okay?”

“Thank you,” Sophie whispered back, getting up so that there was enough room on the couch.

Irene and Sophie ended up switching places, allowing Iseul to pinch Sophie’s cheek, which made her giggle.

Ari was undoubtedly Sophie’s best friend, having known her most of her life and being there through thick and thin; however, Iseul and Irene became akin to older sisters who looked after her, which made her feel grateful. She hoped one day to build the same bond with Nabi and Amelia, but she didn’t know Amelia that well yet while Nabi was closer to a friend with whom she enjoyed chatting.

The room went quiet as soon as Nabi’s phone buzzed, a much-anticipated response from her boyfriend. Everyone waited for her to finish reading, refraining from asking questions.

“He. . . he wants to talk tomorrow,” Nabi mumbled, utterly defeated.

“That’s all he had to say?” Irene tried her hardest to keep calm while her true feelings burned up inside her.

“What are you gonna do?” Sophie asked.

“What else?” Nabi immediately started texting.

“Wait, what are you typing?” Irene interrupted her, worried about her.

“Just telling him okay. . .” Nabi mumbled, pressing send. “It’s better this way.”

“I guess.” Irene sighed. “You okay?”

“No,” Nabi said, averting her gaze and dropping her phone onto the couch. “Could we please do something else? I don’t want to think about it.”

“Wanna watch a movie?” Sophie asked.

“There’s a new comedy that just came out. We could watch that,” Iseul suggested.

“Sure,” Nabi agreed, wrapping herself with a blanket again, feeling drained emotionally.

“It’ll get better,” Amelia whispered, nudging her gently. “We’re here for you.”

“Thanks.” Nabi lowered her voice, biting her trembling lips.

Respecting Nabi’s wishes, the girls did their best to keep her distracted the rest of the night as a big day awaited her.

The next day, Nabi went alone to meet Hyun in a park near the school, a place that was close to both.

She felt cold, lonely, and betrayed, feeling as if she should just fall to her knees and cry herself to sleep, yet she still needed closure. When she finally saw Hyun in the distance, Nabi helplessly grabbed her arm and dropped her gaze, her resolve quickly wavering. However, when she saw the small blue heart on her left hand, right below the knuckle, she took a deep breath and composed herself, finding the courage to keep moving.

It was a small gesture of support that Irene came up with on the spot as she was leaving in the morning to meet her soon-to-be ex, drawn with a blue pen, a symbol meant to remind her that she wasn’t alone.

Each step she took felt heavier than the previous, becoming even harder to approach him when their eyes met for the first time. Nabi couldn’t help but notice that he dressed up the same as he did when they went on their first date, a distinct memory as it was her first-ever date that she went on.

“H–” Nabi wanted to greet him but found herself choking as her voice refused to come out.

“Hey,” Hyun said, sounding sad. He got up and tried reaching for a hug, but Nabi immediately took a step back as if frightened. “Come on, Nabi. . . It’s me.”

The urge to burst into tears felt overwhelming, but Nabi resisted by crossing her arms and looking down, walking over to the bench he sat on and slouching down.

Hyun couldn’t help but sigh, sitting beside her and gently touching her forearm, which made her twitch.

“S–stop,” she stuttered.

“Okay,” he lowered his voice, pulling his hand back. “Listen, Nabi–”

“Why?” She muttered.

“What?” Hyun asked as she was too quiet to understand. “Sorry, I didn’t hear you. . .”

“Why?” She raised her voice, quickly regretting how wobbly it sounded. “Why did you do it?”

“Look, I’m not gonna make excuses,” he whispered to her. “I’m sorry for what I’ve done. I truly regret it.”

“W–why. . . why would you do that? Why would you tell someone we broke up?” Nabi refused to look at him, knowing she’d break down if she did.

“Again, I’m sorry for hurting you, but Nabi. . . I’m sure you’d understand at least a little if you knew how I felt,” he said, causing her eyes to go wide as she turned to him, immediately tearing up.

“H–how you. . . fe–felt?” Nabi was shocked.

“Look, Nabi. . . I care about you, I really do, but you’ve made me believe there’s no place for me in your life. I know what I did was wrong, but it was a moment of weakness I shouldn’t’ve given into.”

“What do you mean?” Nabi raised her voice, biting her lip to the point where it almost bled.

“Stop. You’ll hurt yourself,” Hyun said, cupping her face while staring at her lip before letting out a sign. “It’s fine if you want to cry. . .”

“Don’t say that. . .” She mumbled, forming fists as her glasses almost slid off her face. “Don’t say that!”

She started to shiver before finally losing control and bursting into tears. Her sobs attracted awkward attention of those passing by. Luckily, mid-August Monday mornings weren’t the most popular for people to wander the park.

“I’m sorry. . .” Hyun whispered again, trying to hug her.

At first she refused, but after a few attempts, she finally lost the strength to resist him, allowing Hyun to soothe her. For her, it felt like hours had passed before she finally got a grip, finding the courage to speak again.

“Feeling better?” he dared ask, yet was greeted with a nod. “You sure?”

“Yeah. . .” Nabi sounded out of breath, cleaning up her foggy glasses. “You. . . you mentioned feeling as if you didn’t have a place–”

“Yeah,” he whispered, interrupting her at the first pause she made due to her inability to talk faster while emotional. “Please let me explain.”

“Sure,” she whispered back.

“Thank you.” He smiled for the first time, taking a deep breath while cupping her hand. “Listen, I know that you care for me, and I know it’s hard to believe, but I care for you too. It’s just that. . . it’s just that I never felt as if you or your friends accepted me. Despite spending so much time at the beach house, I was alienated by them.”

“That’s not–”

“Oh please. . . You know it’s true. If you’re going to say it’s because I didn’t approach them, ask yourself if you ever considered how they looked at me. I was the uninvited guest, someone that just tagged along because I was your boyfriend and nothing more. It didn’t matter what I did because Tjay, their close friend, never liked me, nor would he ever like me.”

“What does he have to do with anything?” Nabi sounded annoyed.

“Oh come on. . . You knew he had feelings for you, yet you still chose to hang out with him. I was even okay with you staying friends with him because I’m not the jealous type, but I can’t simply ignore feeling as a substitute.”

“A substitute?” Nabi’s shock kept growing by the second.

“It’s true, and you know what? It really hurts cuz I really care about you.” He lowered his voice, averting his gaze. “I’ve tried making my move on you, wishing to prove to myself that you trust me. That you care for me the same way I care about you, but it always ends the same. You keep rejecting me. . .”

“That’s because I wasn’t ready,” she wanted to raise her voice but was crushed by the accusations he made. “I’ve never done that before, and I–”

“So why do I feel like you would’ve done it by now if it was someone else?”

“But I–”

“Sorry, that was rude of me to say,” he interrupted her again, glancing back at her. “It was stupid of me to assume something like that when you’ve trusted me and showed that you cared in different ways. It’s just that I was afraid, and after our last few arguments. . . I wasn’t sure if you even wanted to be with me because you refused to approach me.”

“What?” Nabi couldn’t even understand what was going on anymore as his words made her stomach turn. “Why would you think that?!”

“How could I not? When was the last time you initiated anything?”

“I–” Her mind blanked.

“See? It’s always me, and I wasn’t sure what to do anymore. . .” he lowered his head, and she could feel his hand trembling. “Nabi, I want nothing more than to be with you, but if you want me in your life, you’ll have to prove that you want me and that I’m not just some random guy that you thought you could mess around with until you find someone better. Someone you’d be willing to give yourself to.”

“You were never just a random guy. . .” Nabi’s voice wobbled as she struggled to catch her breath, overwhelmed by the situation. “I never wanted to find someone else.”

“If that’s true, then prove it,” he said, glancing at her with teary eyes. “Let’s move past this and show me that you care. Prove it, and I swear to be the best boyfriend you could wish for. I’ll take care of you, take you on dates, and help you be the best version of yourself. . .”

“But you cheated on me. . .” Tears ran down her cheeks as she struggled to speak up again.

“A moment of weakness caused by fear,” he defended himself. “Nabi, I would’ve never done it had I not been afraid of losing you.”

“That doesn’t make any sense,” she shook her head, pressing her hands against her face, scratching her forehead anxiously, and knocking her glasses off as her puffy eyes burned.

“But it does. . .” he whispered, surprising her with a kiss on the lips. Dazed, she moved her hands and saw his half-closed eyes. A second felt like an eternity after which he broke away from the kiss, whispering, “It’s because I love you.”

She was left speechless, unsure of what to think.

Hyun reached for her hand, bringing it closer to his lips before planting a gentle kiss, maintaining eye contact.

“You love me?” she whispered.

“Yes, so please. . . Give us a chance to become what we were meant to be.”

His words spoke to her so sweetly that she had a hard time thinking of a proper answer, the conversation going much differently than she expected.

“I. . .” The throbbing pain in her chest and the sickening feeling in her stomach contradicted what she planned to say, but Nabi was still willing to give Hyun a chance. After all, it was her fault Hyun cheated, or at least that was how she felt, but when Nabi wanted to tell him she wished to try, she noticed the blue heart on the back of her hand, a symbol Irene drew as a reminder of all those that stood behind her. “Get away from me!”

She pushed him away, grabbing her head, wishing to scream.

“What’s wrong?” Nabi took him by surprise.

“How could you?!” She dared look him in the eyes, furious with how foolish she felt. “How can you toy with my feelings like that? You think you can cheat on me and try convincing me I’m the bad guy?”

“Nabi, where’s this coming from?” He tried to grab her hand again, but she pulled away immediately.

“Don’t touch me!” She stared at him, determined not to let him brainwash her any longer.

It was the first time Nabi felt truly empowered as if she were in control.

“So that’s it, huh?” Hyun cracked a smile, leaning back.

“What?” She was confused by his sudden relaxed posture.

“You know what, you’re right.” He stood up and sighed. “What am I even doing here?”

“Where are–”

“You know what, Nabi? I tried. I really fucking tried, but you make it impossible.”

“W–what?” She stuttered again, feeling her control slipping right through her fingers.

“When I first saw you, I thought you were cute and wanted to give you a chance. Had I known you were like this, do you think I’d even bother asking you out? You’re boring, and all you talk about is school and nerdy ass topics nobody cares about. If it weren’t for Max and Irene making your group look better, you’d be the biggest outcast. Even Don’s cooler than you, and that says a lot. I thought maybe if we got intimate, I could get over how annoying you are, but you failed at that too. God, what was I thinking?” He sighed, looking at her heartbroken eyes. “If you haven’t figured it out already, I’m breaking up with you. . . Just making sure you understand since you wear those ugly glasses like they make you smarter. Imagine putting in all that effort yet failing to be at the top of your class. Pathetic.”

Time felt like it froze as she watched Hyun walk away without giving her a chance to speak. What was meant to be her breaking up with him ended up with her being crushed by his words. Nabi felt foolish for feeling proud after trying to stand up for herself, helplessly bursting into tears, hoping it was all a nightmare.

Chapter End.

Thank you for reading.